Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-22
MR.. R0YALL In JAIL.
he Is YISgD $3.50 roR IHrIMIDArIHa
GRAND JURORS.
Refusing to Pay II He is Sent TO Prison,
where He Spent Last
Night, Go.

In january the hutungs-Cout gianu
jury found an Indictment against MIR.
W. l.. Royal under the act passed by
the Legislature last March for barrstry.
Mr.. Royal claimed that that act was
one of the unconstitutional acts of the
Legislature passed to destroy the States
coupons as tax-paying instruments ;
that, while general in its terms, il
was passed for his especial benefit and
TO prevent him from aiding and advising
those who wished to make good their
rights founded upon the States cou.
pons that grand jurors, judges, Com.
monwealth's attorneys, sergeants, petit
jurors, and all others who took part in
putting il into operation acted under
an unconstitutional law.
HE SUED THE GRAND JURORS.
Mr.. Royal sued the grand jury that
found this indictment against him IN
the United States Circuit Court for
damages, and announced his inten-
ton TO sue any other grand jury
that indicted him or his clients under
what he claimed was All unconstitution-
al law.
Thereupon Mr.. Witt, Common
wealth's attorney for the city OF Rich
mond, filed information in the Hust-
ings Court against Mr.. Royal for at
tempting to obstruct and impede the
administration Of justice in the Hust-
ings Court by threatening the grand
jury in the discharge of their duty.
THE TRIAL.
Mr.. Royal was yesterday tried upon
this information, found guilty, and
fined $50, and the Court ordered him
to Jail until he should pay the fine and
costs. Mr.. Royal refused to pay the
fine and costs, and was taken to jail.
MR. RoYALL's Defence.
The main points of Mr.. Royals de-
fence were that it is the right of every
citizen to sue any other citizen when
ever he believes himself aggrieved, and
this is a right of which no power can
deprive him. He sues upon his re-
sponsibilities if he fail to make his
plea good he is mulcted in costs and is
liable to a counter suit in the ma
ture of a malicious prosecution.
This, he claims, is the fundamen-
tai right of every citizen, whether
be can maintain his suit or whether he
cannot But, second, he claimed that
he can maintain his suit against the
grand jury that indicted him because
they have indicted him under law re-
pugnant to the Constitution Of the
United States, and that the Supreme
Court had decided that all persons,
grand Jurors or others, who attempt to
enforce an unconstitutional law are
naked trespassers hnble in damages to
those whom they injure.
THE COMMONWEALTH CASE.
Mr.. Witt claimed for the Common
wealth that no man had right to as
sumo beforehand that law was repug-
nant to the Constitution of the United
States that when Mr.. Royal brought
bis suit against the grand jury no court
had decided that the barratry act
was unconstitutional that it would
be a'strange and anomalous doctrine
to hold that every grand juror carried
ont the instructions of the Judge that
presided in his court under the fear Of
penalties being imposed upon him if it
should ultimately y turn out that that
Judge was mistaken on the question Of
whether the law was constitutional or
unconstitutional.
THE COURTS INSTRUCTIONS.
The Court instructed the jury that il
they believed from all the evidence in
the case that the suits were brought
and the newspaper publications were
made for the purpose of intimidating
and impeding the grand jury of the
February term of this court from pro-
ceeding against the accused, then they
must find the defendant guilty ; and
the jury were further instructed, in ar
irving at their verdict, that in law every
man is presumed to intend the natural
and probable consequences of his own
acts.
Mr.. Royal was represented by Mr..
William II. Sands and A. B. Guigon,
and after the jury brought in verdict
Mr.. Sands moved to set it aside on the
ground that it was contrary to the law
and the evidence, which motion the
Court overruled, and Mr.. Royal ex-
cepted TO it.
Mr.. ROYALL IN JAIL.
Having refused to pay the fine of
$50 assessed by the jury Mr.. Royal
was committed to the custody of the
City Sergeant to be imprisoned in jail.
Mr.. Royal was seen by Dispatch
reporter at the jail Last night, and in
answer to inquiries said that he would
not pay the fine and that he would re-
main in the Jail until he had exhausted
every means in his power to procure his
discharge upon the ground that he is
held contrary to the Constitution and
laws of the United States.
MR.. EoyALL NOT UNHAPPY.
Mr.. Royal was in good spirits and
seemed to enjoy his Imprisonment, and
joked and talked with friends, who
every few minutes called him through
the telephone and twitted him about his
incarceration.
. HABRAs CORPUS.
Judge Bond arrived in the city last
night on the 9:l5 train from the North.
Mr.. Royal will to-day have presented
to him petition for writ of ha6eas
corpus, on which he hopes he will be
liberated.
Nh. Royal spent the night in jail.
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